doors

My closets have bi-fold doors. To me, bi-folds waste space because you can’t hang anything on the back of them and when you open them, the two doors never open wide enough to give you full access to the opening of your closet. When I found wood bi-fold doors at a yard sale, I decided to install them on my closet with hinges instead of using the bi-fold track.

Building from discarded materials is sure to open up a whole new world of creative, and functional, possibilities for you.

In days gone by, resourceful homeowners made many of their household items themselves, often out of whatever they had on hand and often times recycling old materials, or converting items that had outlived their useful life. But your furniture need not look like it came out of the trash heap. There are tons of thrift shops, garage sales, and flea markets, not to mention your own garage or attic, that have materials that would make a great, recycled table. All you need is a few basic tools, a little patience, and some elbow grease.

You may approach this project in one of two ways. You can decide upon a particular style of table, pick a location in your home for it, and then go out seeking supplies to suit, or you can allow the materials that you find or fall in love with to dictate the style of table that you construct. I have personally done this both ways and I must say that allowing the materials to “birth” the project is the most fun and rewarding.

Is it just me or can you never have enough storage? It seems like we are always in the same mode at my house of trying to find a home for all of our stuff. It took a full eight years for Laura to finally get the window seat that should have been included when we built the house. But you need not wait to have your own because this project goes together in an afternoon with minimal fuss.

Having a supply of old paneled wood doors at our disposal has provided us with design ideas and material for various projects like this one. The door that we selected for our window seat, by a stroke of luck, happens to be ideal for the cottage style that we so adore. It can sometimes be quite difficult to find what you’re looking for, while other times the perfect piece seems to speak to you from the junk pile. There are no guarantees in junking, so you have to resign yourself to go with the flow. I tend to think the challenge of finding materials is the best part, if you can get past the whole frustration thing.

Squeaky doors are super annoying. There is nothing worse than trying to be quiet at night and waking someone up with a loud SQUEAK! Here are 3 easy and quick ways to solve this problem.

WD-40

It makes sense to start with the most obvious solution, WD-40. Then spray WD-4o directly onto the hinge while working the door back and forth. I like to put a paper towel around the hinge while spraying to keep the oil off of the wood. Keep in mind WD-40 is technically not a lubricant so a silicon spray actually works much better. However, most homes have WD-40 readily available and it will work as a temporary solution.

It’s very frustrating when a screw gives out. It can mean a loose hinge on a door or fallen picture. Also, the hole it used to be seated in becomes almost useless. However, there are a few ways to work around this common house problem.

Go Big

Try replacing the screw with a larger screw. A longer and/or larger diameter screw can dig into new wood and create a new anchor. Consider the application first before taking this route. For example, it’s tough to use a larger diameter screw for hinges because of the hole size in the metal plates. A longer screw would be the better solution. If you do take this route, drill a tiny hole before sinking in the fastener. Otherwise, the wood may crack while driving in the screw.

Fill It In

If the hole is messed up and it’s not possible to use a bigger screw, try patching things up. Drill out the hole to a larger size and plug it with a dowel. Keep the dowel in place with glue and let it cure. Then drill a small hole and replace the screw.

The Door is Sticking

Doors are great. Not just because we need them to section off parts of the house or keep bugs and weather outside, but because they are simple mechanism that do a good job. However, as temperatures change and the soil shifts a house, doors can become stuck or crooked.

Loose Screws in the Hinge

Do you have to pull hard to open a door and push even harder to close it? The first spots to inspect are the hinges. Make sure each screw is tight and snug. If you try to tighten a screw and it keeps spinning, the wood hole is probably stripped. Use a longer screw to dig into more material. Hopefully this will solve the problem and the door will operate normally.